


Foxfire Hurricane

by Figgyfan14



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anko-sensei is scary sensei, Hana is almost as scary, Itachi is messy because feelings, Large amounts of fluff I hope, Multi, My side-character-love story, No Team 7, Redeemed?Orochimaru maybe, Sasuke is a delicate flower, So is Gaara, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-05-25 11:17:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6192922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Figgyfan14/pseuds/Figgyfan14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto knew he shouldn't be hearing the voice, even at the delicate age of six. The relationship between Kushina and Kurama was better than most people thought, and Kurama speaks to Naruto often, helping him with training and school, calling little fox friends to him, and boosting his progress a few years ahead of time. Team Naru, S'uke, Hana, and Anko-sensei. Inconsistent Time Jumps, because why not?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sasuke is a Delicate Flower and must be Protected

Naruto knew he shouldn't be hearing the voice, even at the tender age of six. It came from deep within him, someone around his stomach, he thought. He didn't know why it spoke to him when almost no one but his hokage-jiji did. It couldn't be anyone else in the village, then, because they always sneered or whispered the word monster when they saw him. It couldn't be his parents, because one of his classmates had said they were dead. That was what orphans were. But Naruto also knew it wasn't the old man’s voice.

It was nice to have a friend that seemed to have time for him, though, and he listened to the voice when it whispered jutsu to him and when it helped him with his school work. He even listened when it requested strange things, like that he ate something other than ramen (even though ramen was the best food in the world) or went to the forest to speak with the foxes there.

The foxes had been nice, though, and Naruto hasn't even had to be told that they could speak back. He was sometimes followed around by a talking pug, after all, and the pug even said he was a ninja, though Naruto wasn't sure if he believed that, because dogs couldn't go to school. He'd learned that the hard way when he brought a little fox with him in his coat. Akira only had two tails, so she was smaller than most of the foxes he knew, but she was a pretty gray and nice company, so he didn't know why Izumo-sensei had been so angry and sent him to the Hokage's office.

After that, Izumo-sensei had looked at him with the same cold eyes the village civilians did, which made the voice growl and urge him to study more and work harder. A month later, he could create a full shadow clone, which pleased the voice, so he started to whisper taijutsu and ninjutsu to Naruto. Naruto trained hard, picking up the fuuton and katon techniques especially with enthusiasm, and was perhaps a bit over excited when his first combined technique flattened a training ground. The Foxfire Hurricane slipped from his fingers so easily, whirling around him, and then moved outward in a controlled spiral that ripped up trees and rocks and scorched everything in its path.

His hokage-jiji had scolded him for doing something so dangerous, but had also looked at him with pride in his eyes, making the blonde feel all warm inside. A week later, he was sent to the Uchiha compound to be tutored by Itachi.

Uchiha Sasuke was the most popular kid in Naruto’s class, always swarmed by girls and boys alike, and he always called Naruto ‘dobe’, so the blonde wasn't happy to spend any time outside school in the same space as Sasuke-teme, but he was too excited to finally be seen as something other than a monster or a loser to care too much about that. Itachi-sensei was the coolest ninja Naruto had ever met, too, and he was so interested in the katon techniques the voice had taught Naruto, even teaching him new ones along with some taijutsu training.

This did seem to make Sasuke more of a teme to him, though, and he complained to his foxes about the other, leading to a little three-tailed fox named Hasuro explaining jealousy using his tails as an example. Naruto didn't know if that was the same feeling that he got when someone else took up the time he was supposed to spend with his hokage-jiji, but it sounded rather similar, so the next day he didn't have tutoring, he found Sasuke after class and showed him the new taijutsu the voice was teaching him, telling him solemnly that it was a method not even Itachi knew.

He himself was unaware it was an art his mother knew from Uzushio, but the voice in his stomach always knew what he was talking about, and when Sasuke excitedly showed his mother, Mikoto grew a little bit fonder of the new friend Sasuke had made. He did still call Naruto a dobe, but he didn't seem to say it the same way after that, especially when Naruto started to spend more time training with him when Itachi was on missions. And if Mikoto started insisting Naruto stay for dinner after she overheard him telling Sasuke he wished he had a mom like her, well… no one would be changing her mind on the matter anyway.

Making fast friends was an art that children seemed to grow out of when they became teens, but with both children so young and innocent, it was no surprise they were suddenly found to be stuck to each other. Sasuke even joined the training after Naruto had him show Itachi the Dragonflame jutsu they'd learned together. The voice had been very pleased when that one was perfected, and Naruto almost wanted to tell Sasuke about the voice like he'd told him about the foxes… but he still thought that was a bad idea.

Even his fox friends seemed to like Sasuke, though, which made Naruto very happy indeed, especially when Kimi started to follow him around the around the village after he began his training. He was a bit sad to not see Pakkun as much after that, but the large black fox’s six tails had puffed up the first time he was approached by the pug, and he'd informed him very quietly and with a great deal of steel to his voice that Naruto would be under his protection from then on.

This was confusing to a six-year-old, of course, but a ninja never let his emotions show, according to Itachi-sensei, so Naruto had walked away and drug Sasuke with him, ignoring the confusion the other boy voiced in his ear. After that, Kimi or another fox always seemed to be around, and it was six long months later before either child understood why.

That night was one that Sasuke and Naruto would never forget. Itachi was out on a mission but returning that evening, and they had been training hard with shuriken that day, excited to show Mikoto a new strategy, but the compound was almost eerily quiet as they made their way toward the main house. A glimpse of a shadow atop a lightpost had both boys pausing.

“S’uke… isn't it… early for the lights to all be out?” Naruto whispered, dropping a kunai into his hand from his sleeve.

“Maybe there was a meeting, Naru, come on.” Sasuke didn't seem overly worried, but the voice seemed to be growling in Naruto’s stomach, and a moment later Kimi was melting out of the shadows. 

“Run. Get out of here and find a ninja. Go to the Hokage's office.” The fox was so calm as he said this that the boys almost didn't notice the cold glint to his green eyes, but Naruto felt so uneasy that it was enough to make him grab Sasuke’s hand and run for the nearest guard post. They were taken to the Hokage, a four tailed fox named Jura meeting up with them just outside the building and refusing to allow them to go without her. This was more than a chuunin like Genma could be expected to handle, but the way the children scrambled to hold onto her and how she stood so protectively in between him and the kids made him give in. Everyone had heard about the foxes Naruto kept around, after all.

That was the night of the Uchiha massacre. Naruto and Sasuke had been whisked away to Naruto’s room at the Hokage's manor, and the Hokage himself had gathered his ANBU and gone after the responsible party, but they had been too late. Everyone was dead, Itachi was nowhere to be found, and not even Kimi had been able to track down the guilty party. He had returned late that night, coming into Naruto's room through the window, and Naruto looked up from the crying, sleeping boy he held with eyes older than any six-year-old’s should be. Neither said anything, but the black fox had curled around them, mirroring little brown Jura on their other side, and both children slept through the next day, skipping classes and training.

The voice had only allowed this lapse for one day, and the next morning it woke Naruto with whispered commands, sending him to get breakfast and a wet cloth and head back to his room with them. He woke Sasuke with a gentle voice, and washed the dried tears from his face, worry turning his stomach at the stoic expression and lost look to his eyes.

“I'm going to find who did this, and I'm going to kill them.” Sasuke said with such a lack of inflection and so much calm that Naruto could almost hear the screams his friend wanted to let out.

“I know, S’uke. Me too.” Naruto thought of all the people he'd grown to love like they were his own family over the months. Sasuke’s aunts and uncles and cousins. Itachi-sensei and Mikoto. He was going to help his friend avenge them.

Naruto went to his hokage-jiji while Sasuke had breakfast, following the prompting of the voice, and insisted that he and Sasuke have a new tutor, for both of them. They needed to be better and stronger, and they were assigned to a young jounin that was… probably the scariest kunoichi they'd ever seen. Anko preferred training in the Forest of Death, playing the scariest form of ninja tag she could come up with and nearly killing both of them at least three times every session, but it pushed them to be the best, and her brutal training methods pleased the voice greatly. He started to interfere less, and Naruto almost missed him after a few months of that….

That was when the dreams started. He dreamt of a hallway, two inches of water standing on the floor. It smelled musty and unused, and Naruto didn't even have to think about it to start walking across the top of the water down one of the connecting hallways.

“Little kit… you come to visit me at last.” He heard the voice before he entered the room, and he recognised it with ease, relaxing at the familiar sound.

Naruto stepped into a huge room, ceiling so tall he could barely see it in the dim light, and doors like that of a cage in front of him, sealed with a simple tag over the crack in them. “Where is this? Why do I hear you talk to me when you aren't around?”

“Because this is inside you, little kit. I'm sealed within you, and your chakra, as curious as the fox kit you resemble, likes to leak into my cage and bring my words to your attention, and yours to mine.” The voice seemed more of a growl, so close, and Naruto stepped up to the bars, unable to see anything inside them until suddenly a hulking red form moved to the front. The form of a fox the size of a mountain, with nine tails behind it and claws the size of Naruto’s whole body.

The Kyuubi no Kitsune, the nine-tailed fox that had attacked Konohagakure over 7 years before. But… it had been defeated. Sealed away.

Naruto thought of the markings that appeared on his stomach when he used his chakra, the ones Sasuke liked to trace even when they weren't there. It had been sealed away. Inside him? Was that why everyone called him a monster? Why they hated him? The fox was huge and terrifying, but it had helped him so much with training and school and sent the foxes to protect him and Sasuke…

“You can't be… you… you're not a monster. You helped me...” Naruto didn't understand a lot of things, but he knew what made someone a bad person and what made them good. And the voice that spoke to him was definitely good. He set his jaw. “I'm not a monster, and neither are you. And one day… one day I'll be Hokage. And people will respect me. And I'll make them see that.”

The Will of Fire that Kurama remembered his former jinchuuriki speaking of burned in the blue eyes before him, and he grinned widely, showing off teeth as large and sharp as swords. “Good. Then you will need to work harder, and I will assist you, kit. You will call me Kurama, but tell no one, and I will lend you my strength and knowledge to achieve your goals and keep your promises.” Red chakra bled through the water and swirled around Naruto, engulfing him and sending him crashing into reality with a start large enough to wake Sasuke next to him.

“Naru… bad dream?” The ravenette had gotten used to them both having nightmares, and tangled himself around the blonde in his half-awake state, not noticing the grin on Naruto’s face and the way he was shaking in excitement rather than fear.

“Yeah, S’uke… just a dream. Night.” The blonde assured, getting grumbles as he ruffled the dark hair that was sticking up in his face.

“Dobe.” Sasuke huffed, getting a giggle.

“Teme. Go back to sleep. Anko is going to ask Izumo-sensei to test us early, so we have to train a bunch tomorrow if we want to pass next week.” Naruto didn't know if he was speaking to himself or Sasuke at that point, since they were both already falling asleep.

Seven years old, and they both passed the exam that spring. So much for the dead-last and not-Itachi they had been a year before.


	2. Kunoichi are Terrifying

Inuzuka Hana was almost as scary as Anko-sensei in Naruto's opinion. She had three wolf-like ninken that seemed to be able to read her mind, and didn't even back down from Kimi when he made his displeasure at being near them known. Of course, the ninken didn't seem too pleased with the presence of the fox, either, but Sasuke and Naruto had almost been late to meet their jounin instructor that morning, so Kimi had given them a ride over, growing slightly from his usual wolf-sized self to a horse-sized fox. Naruto wasn't sure they wanted to see how big he could actually get.

They got to reading ground 44 just in time to see Hana play-fighting with her partners, though it looked very much like someone was going to get eaten. Naruto felt like an Inuzuka was probably not someone one wanted to mess with. And neither was their jounin-sensei apparently. Because that was… Anko. Of course.

“Listen up, maggots!” The brash woman appeared out of nowhere with a shark’s grin and very little clothing, as usual. “I'm going to start your test right now, so I hope you all came prepared for anything! This is going to be your home for a few days, and you're going to need to use those tiny brains of yours.” She chuckled and gestured to the forest training ground behind them. The forest of death. “It’s time to play some hide and seek.”

_ Oh, God, not this. With a new player? _ Sasuke thought to himself, glancing at Naruto and seeing the same thought on his face.

“And because some of you have some experience in this, I have a little handicap to add.” Anko seemed way too pleased with herself, which was never a good sign, and Naruto was about to ask when he suddenly found himself handcuffed to Hana, who was also cuffed to Sasuke. “You won't be taking that off, or you fail the test. I'm going to give you a five minute head start, and then you'll be hunted. Your job is to survive for… let's go with five hours. If you can make it that long, with me on your tail, you've got what it takes.” She snickered at the mortified faces of the two young boys and the confident set of the twelve-year-old Inuzuka’s jaw.

That kind of confidence would get them all killed quickly if they couldn't work as a team. She knew her boys could do just fine by themselves, but the extended time limit and handicap would make this a very fun game indeed. And the perfect test for those who would be her students.

“Just run and hide? With these two? Sensei, that's the Forest of Death, and they're seven!” Hana protested, unsure why the woman would think up such a dangerous test.

“Oh, Inuzuka. You're the handicap. You may do fine on your own, but these two are a team that's almost enough to best me at this game! They're seven, but they know this forest. We train here. You have your ninken, and he has his fox, but I'm not a tokubetsu jounin for nothing. They aren't just your handicap. You're theirs. Now, you have five minutes, so get going, brats!” Anko snarled out and grinned maliciously, sending all three genin running for the gate with the ninken and fox behind them.

Naruto would curse if Sasuke wouldn't wash his mouth with soap for it. Hana in between them threw off all their senses of each other, and all three teammates tried to go in a different direction, falling on their faces when the chains caught them and pulled them back. They were going to die if they didn't get it together.

“Naruto. Defense formation H? Hana takes point instead of Kimi, and Kimi stays back with the ninken to let us know when she follows? She won't be giving us five minutes, we have two at best.” Sasuke was the first to put his head on straight, and Naruto was glad for it, even as Hana seemed ready to argue.

“She said we have-”

A high yip cut her off, and Naruto was on his feet in a moment. “That's Kimi. She's already in. We have to go.”

Hana would have doubted it, but three howls went up a moment later, and she was immediately up and running. “Why would she tell us five minutes?”

“Because Anko likes to mess with your head. Watch out for genjutsu, too. She's an expert in T&I, and she trained under Orochimaru. She never plays fair.” Sasuke answered as they followed her lead. He was just glad they had about a foot of chain in between their cuffs.

“Telling all my secrets, Sasuke dear?” Anko was in front of them so suddenly they almost ran into her, and Naruto used this to his advantage, swinging into kick that she had to dodge before creating clones of them all and sending them running in one direction while he and Sasuke dragged Hana in the other one.

“She's also fast and ruthless as a snake, believe it!” Naruto added, seeming a bit dazed. He had a bit of a crush on the dangerous kunoichi.

Sasuke snorted at him. “This is no time for your daydreams, dobe. She's going to figure it out and chase us down eventually.” The raven-haired boy concentrated and sent off a lone clone to locate her, and Naruto rolled his eyes and sent another team in the direction they were heading, pulling them into a turn that sent them deeper into the forest.

Kimi and the ninken had gone in another direction, scattering around the area, and they heard a howl from a location northeast of them.

“Coming in from 4 o’clock!” Hana warned, but they were already being attacked, shuriken and kunai raining down on them, but Hana threw out her own weapons to change their trajectory, as Naruto caught the others with a whirlwind and Sasuke sent his best fireball jutsu in the direction of their sensei.

Their teamwork was impressive, at least, and Anko knew she probably had the dog-like traits of the Inuzuka clan to thank for the easy addition of Hana to the practiced teamwork of Naruto and Sasuke. There would never be anyone who could simply slip into their team without some real work, though, and the fumbling in their directional changes showed that they weren't yet able to truly escape her, but she let them go with a smirk and went to eliminate the clones that Naruto had sent off. They were heading right for a giant centipede nest, after all, and she would never want to take the fun from the forest’s creatures.

~*~

Four and a half hours. They had lasted four and a half hours, tangled together in the woods, fighting off everything from alligators and tigers to centipedes and giant spiders, and Anko chased them through it all, throwing blows at them when their guards dropped. They had been running and fighting for nearly five hours straight through, and Anko was impressed. They may even survive her training if this was how they held up.

The last half hour was when she would really test their mettle, though, and she found them in a clearing, calling her snakes to her and sending them to surround her students. The ninken and fox had joined them, and they were stopping to rest, backs together and a canteen being passed around. They were surprisingly close to relaxed around each other after the day they'd had, and she was satisfied to pass them at this point, even though she had another fight planned for them.

The beasts were the first to notice her snakes, and the black fox quickly grew to the size of a horse as it leapt at them, the ninken immediately following it into battle. The kids were on their feet in a moment, but she was faster, wrapping ninja wire around them and pulling them together, back to back, leaving their arms below the elbow free, but little else, and the handcuffs did enough work in constricting that. Naruto was quick to start a katon, however, and she had underestimated the sheer amount of dual training the two boys had put in.

Naruto and Sasuke actually used a combined jutsu, using each other’s hands, so that Hana could start her own doton. Anko was suddenly trapped in quicksand, standing right in front of the strangest fuuton and katon combination she had ever seen, as wind started to whirl in Naruto’s hand and flame in Sasuke’s, before they slammed their palms together with a shout.

“Foxfire Hurricane!” The two shouted in unison, and she remembered a vague description of a training field left charred and flattened and torn apart before she sunk willingly into the earth to avoid the flames and wind that spiralled out from the three.

The wind settled, the flames lulling slowly, and Sasuke’s legs shook beneath him as he pulled out a kunai and cut the wire. The genin team dropped to the ground in the middle of the scorched wasteland that had once been a beautiful meadow surrounded by trees. The flames had taken everything in a fifty foot diameter.

“Did… is she…?” Hana was panting, looking around slowly, and sighed in relief to see a large fox and three ninken emerge from the trees, trotting over to them, but there was still no sign of their sensei.

Naruto threaded his fingers through Sasuke’s, and just leaned against his teammates. The boys knew they couldn't take Anko out that easily, and, sure enough, a hand punched its way out of the ground, and a slightly charred but very alive Anko crawled out if the ground in front of them.

“You… you pass, brats… go get a… a medic.” She panted as she pulled herself out, bleeding heavily from her side. Hana’s doton had slowed her descent, and she had been caught by a gust of wind before she could fully immerse herself. She had three broken ribs and a laceration the length of her forearm along her side, as well as a possibly punctured lung. She was tough, but she couldn't pull herself out any further than her waist, and Hana’s hands shook as she rushed to look at the wound, Kimi already halfway out of the Forest.

“A-Anko-sensei…” Hana stuttered, and Naruto and Sasuke were quick to pull her from the ground, laying their sensei on her back with hands that shook and eyes that begged for forgiveness.

“Anko-sensei, I-”

“Oh, shut it, Uzumaki… if you think-” she coughed, blood splattering her lips, “if you think this is… all I can take… you'll die before you're 20.” The woman growled, and Sasuke could see her eyes going in and out of focus.

“She's going into shock.” He muttered, pulling off his shirt and pressing it gently against her wound, even as she gasped and flinched away. “We should have used a simpler attack.”

“I wanted to impress her…” Naruto mumbled, trying to listen to the instructions for the healing jutsu Kurama was whispering into his head. He wasn't that good at chakra control, he had so much, but an overpower was better than being too weak with healing, so he was as careful as possible as he placed shaking green-lit hands over her ribs.

“What are you-” Hana started, but Sasuke hushed her quickly, and Anko knew that Naruto had never had any medical training, but her ribs had started to pull themselves together, and the bone was knitting itself back together as her lung refilled with air in her next breath.

Then, Kimi was there with medical-nin, and the genin stepped back quickly, still chained together, to let them in to load her onto a stretcher and take her swiftly back. The experience was enough to leave the genin shaking all over, and Hana slowly picked the locks on the cuffs and separated them.

“We… we passed… but we almost killed her…” She fell back against the waiting flanks of the ninken that had surrounded her, and Naruto and Sasuke leaned against the huge black fox. “If we had been fighting enemy nin… If  enemies had been the ones to do that…” She shook her head. “My family has a lot of medical-nin in it. I'm going to specialize in that. If one of you had been hurt on this hunt, we would have all been screwed.”

Sasuke nodded and leaned a bit more against Naruto. He didn't know where the blonde got the information he sometimes seemed to pull from his ass, but it wouldn't always be enough to save them. “We should… all learn some medical jutsu.” He murmured, and let his eyes droop. “And we should go wait to see how she heals. Kimi… can you bring all three of us to the hospital?” He stroked a hand through the black fur, and the fox nodded.

“You fought well aside my companions, Inuzuka-san. If you would like to come with us to check on Anko-sensei, you are welcome.” The fox rumbled, lowering himself to let the three young kits onto his back and then taking off and letting the ninken follow behind. They would all need to rest after that, and the children needed to tend to the small wounds they had. It had been a long but successful day, and it would be the start of a long but successful friendship.


	3. Gaara is Smol, Suna is Dangerous, and Anko Definitely Blackmails Naruto for Dango

Their trip to Suna had been successful in more ways than one. They had been plenty of a guard for the caravan, even with two of their members being eight year olds, and Naruto had made a new friend with a desertfox that only had two tails but was actually able to call up a sandstorm that surrounded their company when they were attacked. Successful indeed.

After the long trip there, however, Anko had decided they needed to rest a bit, and the genin had been set loose in Sunagakure, Sasuke and Naruto wandering off through the city while Hana and her ninken decided to stay safely in the inn. The desertfox had accompanied them, and Nahu was more than glad to give them information on the city as they wandered it, but when a scream went up from an alleyway and they started toward it at a run, the fox squirmed in protest.

“Naruto! Kyuubi-sama! You can't! He'll kill you, as he does all the others!” The fox whimpered, but Sasuke knew that wouldn't be enough to stop Naruto. He'd fight to the death of it meant saving an innocent, and the turned the corner to see a child approximately their age standing over a fully grown man, face blank as the man scrambled away from him and dropped his sword in a hurry, one of his legs appearing to be completely useless and a large amount of sand swirling angrily before him.

“Hey, kid! Are you okay?” Naruto called as they turned the corner, and Sasuke grabbed his arm at the last minute to stop him from touching the child. Green eyes narrowed and turned on the pair, the man forgotten for a moment, and Kurama whispered thoughts of demons and Shukaku and people like him when blue eyes met green.

“Don't interfere, leaf ninja. It's nothing but another assassination attempt. My father sends them every year or so.” The red headed child spoke softly, but his voice was more than enough to send shivers down the spines of the other two.

“A-assassination? He tried to kill you? But what-”

“Naruto, let's go. Be quiet.” Sasuke hissed, but Naruto had that stubborn set to his jaw again.

“You go, S’uke. I need to talk to him. He's… like me.” Naruto could see shock in those eyes for a moment, holding the green orbs as he felt Sasuke press closer to him instead of leaving. “Yours is… Shukaku, he says. You have insomnia, because you don't want to let him take over and… And kill people… But he makes you crazy. He makes you kill anyway.”

Gaara’s mask cracked, and panic flashed over his face. “How do you-”

“Kurama wants me to fix you. If you let me. I can fix it, and you'll feel better and won't have to kill anymore.” Naruto had already started to concentrate and gather the energy in his hand, thinking of the seal Kurama was showing him and the energy transfer the fox was describing. He saw the panic turn into a moment of hope, before his eyes started to go blank again, and Naruto moved in a flash, faster than Sasuke thought was possible, slamming his palm onto the back of the ginger’s neck and scooping him up in one motion. The petite boy was so light that it was easy, and the sand around him dropped to settle on the ground like all the rest in the city, only stirred by the wind.

“Take care of the assassin, Sasuke.” Naruto spoke, but the other was already moving, and a kunai went through the shocked man’s head before he could blink. The blonde was holding the smaller boy close, and Sasuke joined them to huddle at the edge of the alleyway.

“You… can hear him? The fox?” Sasuke whispered the words, but Naruto nodded, mentally apologizing to Kurama.

“He helps me. With training and missions and learning new things… He helped me heal Anko on our test day. And the seal just now was his idea.” Naruto admitted softly, and turned his attention to the other boy as green eyes blinked open, seeming so much more calm than they had moments before. “He can't take your body unless you give it to him, now. You're safe.”

The words were simple, but all tension fled from the small body, and he curled into the arms around him, tears coming in streams down his face. He had grown to hate so much over the two years since the only person he loved killed himself, and it all seemed so far away when he was wrapped in tan arms and drowning in eyes as blue as foreign skies. It all seemed to fade and shift until he could do nothing but close his eyes and sleep at last.

Naruto and Sasuke had taken him with them back to the inn, and Hana had just rolled her eyes and muttered about them picking up strays before heading out to find food for them all. Before she could even return, though, Naruto and Sasuke had curled up around the sleeping boy and fallen asleep, Jura and Nahu both curled on top of the puppy pile. She snorted at the sight and ate without them, and when Anko returned, she just giggled and grinned in that slightly-insane way she so often seemed to.

“Where'd they find that one? I swear if they were any older, I would think they were a couple.” She snapped a picture to taunt Naruto with later, because the blonde always went as red as a tomato and sputtered when she teased him, but it was getting late anyway, and she was okay with letting them sleep. She didn't even know about the drain the seal had put on Naruto’s chakra, or the way Sasuke and he had started to be able to share their reserves in such situations, wiping them both out at times, even though they could perform amazing feats with it. In her mind, they were just eight-year-olds tired from travel and needing some rest. Most people underestimated them, but no one thought about the search for the ginger boy that would be taking place, lead by his siblings, who were often the only people safe from him.

They all thought it had been a mission well done, and nothing but clear skies ahead.

It was late the next day before Naruto woke up to find himself tangled with Sasuke and the ginger (whose name he realized he didn't know), and none of them were wearing more than their boxers, though he didn't know when that had happened. Probably when they grew overheated from the extra bodies, but he was too concerned with maneuvering his arm out from under Sasuke’s hips and pulling his legs out of the ginger’s arms to think too much about it.

“You sleep well in there, Blondie?” Anko’s voice was enough to make him jerk, waking both of his bedmates, and curse, getting a scowl from Sasuke.

“I'll clean your mouth as well as my mother, Naru.” Sasuke grumbled, curling around the ginger boy that still seemed mostly asleep, as black eyes drooped again, but their sensei wouldn't be letting them off that easily.

“Come on, grandpa, cut him some slack. After all, you guys did just have your first threesome. I'm impressed, too, carrot top there is a cutie, if a bit young for my tastes.” Anko grinned, and Gaara wondered briefly if this woman would eat them, based on the look in her eye, but Hana giggled across the room, bringing their attention to the brunette genin.

“Leave them alone, Anko-sensei, you know they're not as fun before they wake up. Naruto, your button is undone, by the way. “ She smirked as he went red and quickly righted his shorts, and then giggled again when a shuriken thunked into the wall behind her, Sasuke's expression far too innocent not to be guilty.

Gaara was starting to wonder if these people were the most amazing or the strangest he has ever met. It was a draw, at the moment.

“Hey, carrot top, what's your name and how did you end up with these clowns?” Anko was suddenly leaning over their bed, her face a few inches from the ginger, and Sasuke grumbled, pulling him closer.

“I am Gaara of the desert… and I owe them my life.” The small boy didn't seem to be scared of her, and this made it easy for Anko to decide she liked him and ruffle his hair.

“Alright then, Sabaku no Gaara. Such a fierce name for such a small package.” She grinned as Naruto smacked hey hand away from him and took up a position half on the bed and half off, looking ready to fight her.

“Hands off, snake lady, you'll infect him with your crazy.” Naruto never would have dreamt of speaking to his sensei like that a year ago, but he and Anko both liked the banter.

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do, pip squeak, talk me to death? I swear, the only thing bigger than your mouth is your ego, oh future Hokage-sama.” Anko retorted, and Sasuke knew they were in for a long one when Naruto took the bait, shoulders setting.

“No arguing in front of guests, dobe.” Sasuke knew at least bringing Naruto's attention back to him would make it a shorter fight, and the blonde gave him a pout, blushing and turning to look at Gaara.

“Teme. You just always need to be in charge of things.” He mumbled, but leaned against the now-sitting Uchiha and his captive ginger, as Sasuke held onto the boy and rested his chin on top of red hair. As Gaara started to wake up more, green eyes widened and he realized he had slept all night with two other people around him and a total of four others in the room… and nothing bad had happened. Shukaku could be heard grumbling quietly, but the presence wasn't overwhelming like it usually was. He felt tears start to track down his cheeks, and he sniffled.

“Shit, what did you do?”

“What do you mean, what did I do? You're the one that scared him with your evil grin!”

“Just your face would have been enough to scare him, Blondie!”

“Snake lady!”

“Pip squeak!”

Laughter, soft and unsure and unfamiliar, broke them up, and Sasuke blinked down at the boy in his lap.

“You… you guys love each other… so much.” Gaara giggled, and his heart didn't seem to hurt for the first time that he could ever remember. This was love.

“Psh! Love her? Like anyone could!” Naruto grumped, but there was a distinct pink tinge to his cheeks.

Anko’s smile was a bit softer around the edges as she looked at the ginger then, and she wrinkled her nose. “Love him? In his dreams.” She acted like she was whispering this conspiratorially, and this got a full body laugh from the small boy, even as Naruto attempted to deny it, but Sasuke waved him silent and just listened to the sound of new joy. Even Hana had to smile at that.

Their windows and door were busted in, then, and a full squad of Suna ANBU entered the room, the team of leaf ninja boxing in Gaara in the center of the room and standing in battle positions, even with half of them in their underwear. One of the ANBU stepped forward, letting a young blonde girl enter through the doorway, and Gaara could feel panic rising in him as he saw his sister step in.

“Temari… why are you… attacking me?” Gaara knew he could take them all out at once, though his father had never involved his siblings in the assassinations before, or sent this many people, especially right after the last attempt yesterday had ended as usual, which the man dead.

“Gaara, we aren't attacking you, we're saving you. A witness yesterday described you being disabled and taken by these leaf ninja, and the only reason they aren't dead is the unlikeliness of anyone being able to touch you at all.” This statement was clearly directed more at the ninjas than at Gaara, and Anko snorted and stood straight, stepping forward.

“Oh, you wanna see pictures of the puppy pile they made last night? I don't know why you think he didn't come here by choice, but according to him, my teammates saved him, and he was very much okay with being touched this morning.” Anko seemed relaxed as she reached back and ruffled his hair, just like she had earlier, but the shock in the teal eyes of the girl named Temari left her with plenty of questions. “We aren't kidnapping your kid here, he was visiting us, so everyone can calm down and you can explain what's so strange about a little boy liking affection.”

The ANBU guard around them seemed to disappear, leaving only their captain and the girl standing in the room as everyone relaxed just a bit.

It was Gaara that spoke, then. “People don't… touch me. They were afraid of me and… Shukaku. The demon sealed in me. But Naruto fixed my seal, Anko-san. He saved me from the demon. That's why I'm… here.” He looked at his sister as he said this, and saw a flash of hope in teal eyes. “They treated me well, Temari, and I owe them.”

Naruto stepped in then, big mouth that he had. “Awh, you don't owe us, Gaara, we're happy to help! Believe it!” The blonde bubbled, grinning and tossing an arm around slender shoulders. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his friend’s behavior, but smiled at the boy as well, noting the way Temari had stepped back when Naruto moved into Gaara’s space.

“We do owe you.” She whispered, watching the easy contact and how her brother leaned into it. “We… apologize for jumping to conclusions when Konohagakure is our ally.”

Anko smirked. “Oh, we'd think the same if you jumped on our jinchuuriki, I'm sure.” She mused, and stepped aside, watching her team relax more fully at this gesture. “Sorry to cause you trouble, Blondie likes to pick up strays, and Boyfriend hasn't learned to tell him no, yet.”

Naruto started to protest, but his brain stopped at the word boyfriend, and he started to turn into a tomato, which brought a laugh, though a smaller one than earlier, from Gaara. Temari’s eyes snapped to the face of the brother she had never gotten to truly know, and her heart eased a bit with the knowledge that he was… better now.

“We have to hit the road, so tell your little friend bye and promise to write, Naruto.” Anko teased further, making the blonde grumble, even as he gave Gaara a soft squeeze and released him.

“Take care of Shukaku for Kurama, okay? He's the youngest, it makes Rama worry.” Naruto watched amusement flutter in the green eyes, and grinned at the grumble that got from Kurama, but stepped back, leaving Sasuke to simply nod to the boy, as stoic as he always was around outsiders to their group, but a small smile cracked through, and then Anko and Hana both patted the boy on the head and kissed his cheeks.

“Make sure you send Naruto plenty of reminders to study, or his slow ass will fall behind, eh, carrot top?” Anko said in way of dismissal, and Gaara just grinned, seeing love for the first time in so long, and wondering if he would maybe have something like that one day.

“Of course, Anko-san.” He said softly, and gave Hana a smile before dressing quickly and leaving with Temari.

It would be a new life for him, and he would make sure the gift those Konoha ninja have him didn't go to waste, staying by hesitantly taking the hand of the sister that had feared him for so long… and she let him. A new life, indeed.


	4. Sensei Reunion (because how could Orochimaru not go after the kinjutsu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize for the errors in past and future chapters, I'm operating without a beta, and I'm kinda sleep deprived, so I hope this isn't shitty. I also may have started writing two other Naruto fan fiction that I may or may not post, depending on how well this goes over... I've recently read a thing that makes me hate Orochimaru less, too, so I'm probably not gonna completely villainize him. I may pretend we caught him before he could become so inhuman as to take other's bodies. Dunno.

Uzumaki Naruto collected jutsu like some people collected bottle caps. Casually, until he found one he wanted, and then he would fawn over it until Sasuke learned it too and they would make some new plan that would involve it. (They were on about 7F by now, and Hana was pretty sure they weren't going to stop making their crazy plans anytime soon.) He also seemed to like seals, and everyone said that was the Uzumaki blood in him, so he had thrown himself into that, so excited at the prospect of a clan ability, and his use of them in battle was something that many people wouldn't think possible, but that had a lot to do with Kurama’s assistance.

Uchiha Sasuke was a taijutsu expert and an explosive katon user, and he and Naruto had a number of combo attacks that never failed to surprise their enemies. He was faster than any other genin, and most of the chuunin, even giving jounin a run for their money. Sometimes literally. He had started on kenjutsu when he came across old family scrolls containing techniques, and he and Naruto were always sparring after that, perfecting their seals and swordsmanship.

Inuzuka Hana was one of the best veterinarians in any of the great villages by the time she was fifteen. She was a skilled medical-nin, and she always had plenty of practice material with the way her headstrong teammates seemed to find trouble. Most people thought that wouldn't include her sensei, but it sometimes seemed that Anko was more likely than any of them to get herself in deep, and they had been a team for three years, Hana fifteen, Sasuke eleven, and Naruto ten, when they had their first run in with the Akatsuki.

It was raining, and they were making their way quickly toward Tsuchigumo Village, when a wave of panic and a large amount of blood lust washed over the team, Anko crying out and grabbing her shoulder. Hana was on her in a moment, not smelling blood, but expecting an injury, and Naruto and Sasuke took up defensive position 5T, ready to fight whatever enemy was closing in.

A young blonde girl burst through the trees, and the two ninja Sasuke could detect were quick to split and circle around, boxing them in between them. Anko was panting, but she quickly pulled the girl in so they could circle around her, and Naruto called Kimi, who had been tailing behind them for extra protection. The fox and Hana’s ninken were quick to create a secondary protective circle, and the amount of chakra coming from their opponents put everyone edge, Kimi growing to the size of a small building as he recognized one of the chakra signatures.

Sasuke and Naruto recognized it at the same time. “Itachi!” The blonde boy gasped, and Sasuke was struck with the possibility that Itachi had been behind the massacre of his family. That bloodlust… it was ruthless and terrifying. They were ninja, though, and neither boy would be letting this get to them.

“Orochimaru… I don't know what you want with her, but you won't be getting this girl.” Anko didn't know if the other ninja was actually Itachi, but she would recognize the pain that went along with Orochimaru’s presence anywhere.

The trees on both sides of the trail rustled, and a volley of weapons came at them from both directions, but Naruto was fast on the draw with his jutsu, and he didn't even have to look to know Sasuke was also preparing for their Foxfire Hurricane, the boys slapping their palms together and sending the jutsu spinning around their group, spiralling outward in sheer destruction and protection, while Hana slammed her palm to the ground and her doton quicksand held her attackers before they could leap out of the way.

The wind gentled and the fires died down, but there seemed to be an even stronger hatred in the air than before, and a large rock dome was the only thing sticking up in a seventy foot radius. Sasuke drew his sword just in time to knock a kunai aimed for Hana aside, and the dome broke open and crumbled around two figures in black and red cloaks, dark hair and pale faces all that was visible of the men themselves

“Well, Anko, they let you train children? How foolish of them.” A soft, slightly sibilant voice came from the taller of the two, and Naruto growled, digging deep into his and Kurama's shared chakra and starting to look a bit less human by the minute.

“Anko-sensei is the best damn teacher we could have had, believe it!” He snapped with all the ferocity of the Kyuubi. They had barely practiced the transformation, but he could feel it coming on.

“How cute, they even gave you the young ones. I'll make you a deal, little girl, give us the child and you'll be free to take your genin and leave.” The man took a step forward, but a kunai thrown toward his feet drove him back, and Hana glared at them defiantly.

“You aren't getting her, and there's nothing you can say or do to change that. You'll have to kill us if you want to take her.” The Inuzuka stood firm, and Anko had been frozen in pain and fear, but the solidity of her team gave her the strength to turn her eyes to the sensei that abandoned her.

“They're stronger than you are, Orochimaru. The last Uchiha, the Uzumaki jinchuuriki, and an Inuzuka medical specialist. You won't beat them, even if I wasn't here.” Her voice was hard, but more calm than her team had ever heard, and Sasuke found himself standing a little bit taller, even in the face of his brother.

“Little girl, do you really think your team can take me out? Children are so fragile, and it would be a shame if something happened to them…” A soft chuckle was all the warning they had before an attack came at their backs, and no one had seen the shorter man move, but he was suddenly there, and Sasuke raised his sword to block the kunai meant for Anko, but made the mistake of meeting eyes as red as blood and seeming to swirl with the sharingan inside them.

He was tossed into a world of a nightmare, watching his entire family die ever and over, but to his te it simply appeared he cried out and collapsed. That was when Naruto lost it, seeing his best friend and ally fall, and he seemed to bubble with red chakra, snarling and leaping at his former tutor, not even stopping when a blade went straight through his shoulder as he slashed down the ninja’s chest, ripping through muscle with nails that were turning into claws and snapping a thin wrist with one quick twist.

A knee brought up just before Itachi could escape smashed into his ribs and broke three, and even the Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't keep up with the fox’s movements as Naruto surrendered control to Kurama, not quite transforming. That lack of transformation and single-minded fury was the end of the fight, though, as Orochimaru got to him just as he crushed the elder Uchiha’s left femur, and the Sannin hissed in anger as he slammed a seal over the one already on Naruto’s stomach, directly over the source of the fox’s chakra, sending the blonde flying back with the force of his blow.

“That fox is quite the specimen. We may have to take him off your hands too.” Orochimaru chuckled, nipping his finger and drawing it up his arm to summon a monstrous python as Kimi snarled and moved to attack. The snake coiled around the fox, and the ninken moved instead to take the place he would in front of Anko and Hana, Sasuke passed out against Hana’s side, his sword through Naruto’s shoulder, and Orochimaru standing firmly between the team and his fallen comrade.

“You won't be getting either of them, Orochimaru!” Anko snarled. She would defend her students to her last breath, even with the pain in her shoulder sharpening by the minute.

Sasuke stirred and could feel the bloodlust in the air like death itself, but he couldn't let it get to him, he wouldn't, because Itachi was there and had killed everyone and made him watch it all over and over until he almost broke from the pain, holding onto the familiar feeling of Naruto’s chakra flaring to keep him sane. But that was gone, now, and he was almost panicking, and if something had happened to Naruto he would be killing whoever was responsible. He decided all this in a moment, and was on his feet before Hana even realized he had moved, but seeing the kid pull himself together and level determined eyes on the powerful ninja in front of them pulled her together as well, and she took up Naruto’s usual position next to him, her ninken staying spread in front of them all and Anko on Hana’s other side. They were a team, and Naruto needed them to finish this fight quickly, as did the child the two traitors had been chasing, who was still cowering behind them.

“A united front. How dreadfully noble.” The Sannin sneered, but they didn't even get the chance to truly fight him as a loud crunching noise brought everyone’s attention to Kimi and the python as the fox crushed his head in massive jaws and turned to take on Orochimaru himself.

“Formation 3J!” Anko called, then Hana knew the battle was turning in their favor, sending her ninken in with a low whistle and turning to sprint to Naruto, while Anko and Sasuke both used the distraction Kimi caused to launch attacks at Orochimaru. With Kimi back in the fight, snapping at the enemy ninja and breathing flames at him, Anko used her doton to sink into the ground and Sasuke corralled him with a barrage of shuriken and kunai. This was a well practiced maneuver, though usually Naruto had his numerous shadow clones distracting the enemy rather than Hana’s dogs.

Orochimaru was sending jutsu out after the fox, who dodged and attacked with too great a speed to hit, and also defending and attacking against the ninken and Sasuke, and he failed to notice Anko missing until she came out of the ground at his feet and grabbed his ankles, giving the black fox the opportunity needed to grab him, sinking fangs into his shoulder and claws into his sides. The man was old, his bones not strong enough to withstand the pressure without breaking, and his collarbone and shoulder blade both snapped in the large jaws, even as the fox held back from killing him. Sasuke was there in a moment with ninja wire, securing their enemy.

The team stilled, panting and taking a moment to look back to where Naruto was half-propped in Hana’s lap, blue eyes fluttering open as she healed the wound to his shoulder, which had started healing itself as soon as she pulled the sword out. “I… got this, guys… I'll seal him up…” The blonde mumbled, swaying as he attempted to stand. “Shit.” He grumbled, stumbling. “Rama, I…. Where….”

Orochimaru chuckled darkly, coughing up blood at the end. “Oh, you won't be finding your little pet…” he choked out, sneering at Anko. “Good luck with two captives and your trump card ripped in two.” He hissed, and Sasuke snapped, punching him squarely in the jaw before turning and suddenly finding himself wrapped around his tan friend.

“Calm down, dobe, we'll fix you up when we get to the village.” He whispered, watching panic rising in the blue eyes, but they cleared at his words and hardened.

“Right. I'll seal him even without Kurama’s help.” The blonde scowled at the Sannin that hung slightly off the ground in Kimi’s jaws, one arm dangling uselessly and the other held against his side by large claws. Naruto wouldn't let this traitor of the village best him, especially as he saw the pain on his sensei’s face. That was her sensei, twisted and labeled a monster, and it was hokage-jiji’s student, who stood next to a blonde girl and a white-haired boy in the photo on the old man’s desk, and Naruto wasn't going to stand for it. He leaned slightly against his best friend as his legs wobbled, but found himself quickly standing in front of the enemy nin, pushing his ripped cloak aside to draw a seal in the own man’s blood over his heart.

“Chakra Paralysis Sealing!” He growled as he dug to the depths of his own chakra and borrowed some from the teammate whose hand was supporting him, slapping a hand over the seal he'd drawn perfectly. He couldn't get to the chakra he wanted, and the seal sputtered before Sasuke pushed his own chakra into it, lighting it up and letting it drain them both.

After the initial Sealing, it would run on the chakra flow of the host, sucking it all up before it could be used and powering itself using the chakra it stole. It was something Kushina had had used on her during her time in Uzushio, and Kurama was more than happy to teach the wretched thing to Naruto to use on their enemies. With Naruto separated from him, though, the blonde was floundering, and Sasuke was just glad he had remembered the actual seal itself, the lines perfect even if his chakra wasn't.

Orochimaru went limp, as did Naruto, and Sasuke swayed a bit from the sudden loss of chakra, but Anko was proud of her team, and Hana was checking the child over for injuries, Kimi dropping Orochimaru to catch the boys before either hit the ground.

“Don't pass out on me, dobe, or Hana is gonna kick your butt for this…” Sasuke huffed, pulling Naruto onto the fox's back with him as Kimi lowered himself to allow it.

“Shut up, S’uke… ‘M fine… Teme…” Naruto mumbled, but blinked up at him, wounded and exhausted as they all were, worse than the rest of them, with eyes as bleary as a newborn’s. Sasuke just pulled him close so he wouldn't fall off Kimi before they made it to the inn at the village, and he was out before they even started moving.

With the amount of Kurama Naruto had released, it was no surprise to find foxes with all manner of tails congregating around the edges of the clearing their battle had created. A red fox with five tails bounded over as Naruto passed out, expression worried. “Kyuubi-sama!” The fox exclaimed, ignoring the humans as she went to sniff at him. “Kimi-san, what did this? Surely no human could best our Lord.” She fidgeted, standing on her hind legs to get a better look at the boy.

“Not now, Muura, Kurama-sama is fine. His seal has been tampered with and his vessel exhausted himself fighting. Be of use and collect those children so we can get on our way before we're attacked again.” The fox grumbled, gesturing to where Anko was trying to get Hana to stop fussing with her wounds, and the red fox nodded, trotting over to sniff at the injured men laying around them.

“And these ones? Can we eat them? They're responsible for Kyuubi-sama’s vessel getting injured…” She looked very much like she would enjoy eating them, though neither were dead, but Anko snapped to attention at that.

“You can't eat them.”

“But why? And who asked you, human? I would eat you too if it wouldn't displease my Lord.” The fox bared her teeth, but quickly subsided when Kimi snarled.

“You will not eat them because Kurama-sama and Naruto-san decided to let them live. And you will respect Anko-sensei, as she is respected for her battle skill and child rearing by the Kyuubi himself!” The black fox snapped, lifting Orochimaru by the back of his cloak and laying him over his back behind Sasuke. “Don't test my patience, Muura, you will bring the rest and follow me.” He growled before picking up Itachi and laying him over Orochimaru, leaving Hana, Anko, and the blonde girl that was looking at them all in awe for her to carry back to the town.

Muura dipped her head, eyes downcast. “Of course, Kimi-san.” She acquiesced, crouching and looking at the humans expectantly, while Hana’s ninken seemed to steer clear of both foxes in favor of scenting the wind for more danger. This made Hana worry, but they'd have let her know if they smelled anything, so she looked down at the girl with a smile.

“Would you like to ride a fox home, Hotaru?” Hana coaxed the child gently, and smiled wider at the grin she got.

“Can I?!”

“Of course.” Hana smiled softly and lifted the girl onto the fox’s back, looking at the disturbed expression on Anko’s face.

“He thinks… child rearing?” Her sensei was muttering distractedly, and Hana chuckled, straddling the fox and waving Anko over.

“Don't worry, Anko-sensei, he would never tell anyone how nurturing and kind-hearted you are.” Hana teased sarcastically, laughing as her teacher snarled in disgust at the thought. She was Orochimaru’s student for a reason, and no one would ever dare to call her such things. No one but this damn team, that is.

(To be continued)


	5. Anko, the Hokage, and the Chuunin Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this, and the next chapter will be back in Suna for their chuunin exam! Comments get virtual cookies and make me actually want to write shit rather than starting something new!

Upon arriving in Tsuchigumo Village, Hotaru was quick to thank them and scamper off through the crowd, and Anko was glad to see her go, sapped of strength and still needing to finish their mission at dawn. She knew she should call a retrieval squad of ANBU to deal with Itachi and Orochimaru, but they'd never make it before the end of the next day. Traveling back with them seemed like the best choice, with the injuries they'd both suffered. Naruto was still knocked out, and Sasuke wasn't much better, so they found an inn and let the boys sleep off their chakra exhaustion. Hana and Anko were more than enough to complete the mission the next morning, and it was just after noon that they were ready to head back, with Naruto still half-asleep and Sasuke back to about 60 percent strength. Kimi had guarded their prisoners that night, standing watch without rest, but he never seemed to need much of that, and the men hadn't stirred at all.

They were out even as the team made their way back to Konoha that night, Muura replaced by a six-tailed fox named Michi that was much more agreeable to carrying them back to their village, simply excited to get to be near the Kyuubi himself. Hana's ninken, after resting that day, were able to keep up with the foxes easily, and it wasn't until they were back in the walls of the village in the early morning hours, both foxes shrunk to the size of kits and happily curled in Sasuke and Naruto's arms while Hana and Anko handed off their captives to the ANBU at the gate, that the full exhaustion of the mission started to weigh on the girls and ninken. Anko was just glad she had written the bulk of the mission report, which she would need to give directly to the Hokage, the night before. Paperwork was probably the one thing she still didn't enjoy about having a genin team. So much damn paperwork.

Her thoughts of reports were pushed quickly away when Naruto made a very agreeable suggestion, though. “Hey, Anko-sensei, can we all get some ramen before we have to go check in with the hospital? I'm not that hurt, but I am starving.” Naruto grumbled, rubbing his stomach and making Michi huff as he was jostled. Food. Food sounded like a great idea, though she wasn't thinking about ramen.

“I don't know, brat, I should get you looked at… they'll probably wanna keep you a few days, too, with how low your chakra is right now.” She was smirking inwardly, but she put on a thoughtful face, and Naruto took the bait, eyes going wide.

“Days? Days of hospital food? Oh, come on, surely we have time for at least one bowl? Come on, sensei!” The blonde gave her his best puppy eyes, as Sasuke saw the ploy and sighed. Naruto was a terrible ninja when it came to looking underneath the underneath. Anko let her smirk out, then, and Hana rolled her eyes at them. “Well, we may have time for a little food, but if I'm going to keep you out of medical, you're gonna owe me, Blondie. Your buying me dango.” She grinned as his face fell into a pout and he leaned against Sasuke's shoulder, cuddling the fox tighter against his chest.

“Well, fine then, but only after we have ramen!” The boy grumped, and Sasuke rolled his eyes, nudging Naruto with his shoulder.

“Come on, Dobe, Ichiraku’s should be opening soon. Ramen isn't breakfast, but I guess this is still dinner for us.” The ravenette’s agreement almost meant more than hers did, Anko knew, but she was getting free dango, so she easily agreed to going along for ramen. They all looked at Hana, who was worn out and patting her ninken fondly, for agreement, and it was no surprise when she grinned and shrugged.

“Who doesn't like ramen and dango after a long mission?” This got a whoop from Naruto, who suddenly seemed more energized, and they set off as a group for Ichiraku's, amiable and enjoying the fun while they could. They all knew they had just brought in two of the most dangerous Konoha missing-nin to ever leave the village, and they knew that Naruto was in no shape to be roaming around before he was checked out, but they were going to take a moment to enjoy victory before moving on.

It was early, but this was a ninja village, and Naruto want surprised to see it was already awake and moving. He ran into the kind Academy teacher that had started the year after they graduated and gave him a grin, as usual, because Iruka has always been nicer than most people to Naruto, but the brunette seemed to have some extra time that morning, stopping when he saw the group and smiling at them, ruffling Naruto’s hair.

“Back from your mission already? It must have been a simple one.” He had been the one to give them the scroll at the mission desk, so he knew they weren't due back for another day. Anko had noticed the way he treated Naruto, and she thought he wasn't so bad himself for a chuunin, so she didn't maneuver around the conversation like she did with most nin.

“Oh, anything but! These kids are gonna be following your steps into the chuunin rank soon, Umino, watch out! They may even pass me up if I don't stay at the top of my game.” She rolled her eyes at the squeak this got from Naruto, the blonde boy practically bouncing on his toes.

“Anko-sensei, does that mean you're going to let us take the chuunin exams this time! They're in Suna, can we go early and see Gaara and Temari? His last letter said Kankuro would taking the exams this spring, and he's younger than Hana by a year! Come on, sensei, we're totally ready after taking out-”

“Naruto, are you trying to compare me to some no-class Suna nin?” Hana interrupted just in time, and Sasuke sighed, shaking his head at the two as Naruto stuttered over his response and Hana gave him her best big sister glare.

“He would never do something like that, would you, dobe?” Sasuke decided to step in, bumping shoulders with Naruto and getting a grateful smile.

“No, of course not, I was just-”

“Yeah, you better not, brat. Hana has a better chance of becoming a chuunin this year than you do, Blondie.” Anko teased, baring her teeth in a grin that never failed to send shivers down their spines.

“Crazy snake lady…” The blonde mumbled, and Iruka found himself laughing at the exchange. They were a close group, that was for sure.

“Well, Anko, I'll expect your report at the mission desk this morning, then, but I should be going so Kurenai isn't stuck by herself with the morning crowd.” The brunette nodded to them, leaping onto the nearest roof and taking off. Hana watched him leave before smacking Naruto in the back of the head.

“You idiot, did you really think it was okay to say anything about what just happened in front of some random chuunin you know? For a ninja, you really know nothing about subtlety.” She huffed, but ruffled his hair when he pouted at her. “Stop that, you have sadder eyes than Kiba’s new puppy. Come on, Ichiraku’s is definitely open by now.” She dropped an arm around his shoulders, still much taller than the brat, and giggled when he grabbed Sasuke’s hand as she drug him away.

Anko watched them with a small smile, more real than those that anyone other than these three got, and followed behind them as Naruto babbled about the types of ramen and their perks. She wondered for a moment if she should send them into the chuunin exams. The Hokage had been holding back because of the ages of Naruto and Sasuke, but Hana had improved greatly in the past year, along with the boys, and she thought they just might be ready next month.

Of course, when they finished their food and took Naruto to be examined, she got called away to the Hokage’s office to give him a full report of the mission and the battle that had lead to them taking Itachi and Orochimaru, both with their chakra sealed and very extensive injuries that probably would have killed them, had Hana not been able to step in where necessary, saving them from collapsing lungs and failing kidneys.

“...and he sealed Orochimaru even without assistance and chakra from the Kyuubi. They were very impressive, Sarutobi-sama, and I would recommend them for the chuunin exams this year. Hana has grown into herself nicely and is much more level-headed than her Inuzuka genes has her starting out as, and Naruto and Sasuke use flawless teamwork, only needing to even speak a plan when it includes me, even Hana is so in tune with them now. You should see the puppy piles they sleep in on missions.” Anko snickered, grinning at the Hokage’s pleased expression. She knew that assigning her a team had been something the council had advised against, but Sarutobi had done it anyway, and it was paying off.

“They have showed much improvement in the mission reports. If you think they are ready, you are welcome to enter them. Word from the Kazekage seems to indicate their Jinchuuriki has undergone his own staggering improvement. It seems they may be facing each other in this exam.” Sarutobi smiled around his pipe, then sobered at the thought of what they were really there to discuss. “In other, business, though, Anko, are you really saying you and your genin team took down an S-rank missing-nin our hunters have been after for 3 years and one of the Sannin in the same battle?” It was almost too much to believe, even with talent like Anko’s and her students.

“Naruto slipped a bit, and the fox came out. He hasn't done that in a while, but Sasuke was taken out, so he panicked. The brat’s practically codependent on his little boyfriend.” She rolled her eyes, thinking about the way Sasuke and Naruto leaned on each other in almost everything. “It worked out for the better, because he was able to take out Itachi, but after that Orochimaru slapped a new seal on him and he was like a light.” She didn't know what seal it had been, but she was sure the Hokage would if the medical nin at the hospital didn't notice it. Naruto had been in there plenty, so they would probably notice it, even if they didn't know how to correct it.

“Have him meet me in the morning and I'll look at it. For now, would you like some tea? It's been some time since you visited me without occasion, Anko.” After she was abandoned by Orochimaru, he had started having tea and conversations with her every week, starting a tradition he would continue with other troubled children throughout his time as Hokage, but she has thrown herself into the training of this team, and he had been glad to see glimpses of the excitable and softer side she'd closed down when her sensei left.

“Yeah, the kids will be in the hospital or sleeping for most of today, I shouldn't need to be anywhere.” She knew Hana and her ninken would probably wait with Sasuke for Naruto to get treated, and she was sure they'd be fine.

“Good. How was their training going before this mission? You mentioned their teamwork as a whole has improved greatly. I've seen them train, it is truly impressive.” He smiled around his pipe and poured her tea, watching her face light up.

“They can take anything I throw at them, it really is amazing. I've never seen a team balance so well when the boys were so much stronger than her at the beginning. Hana will definitely be ready to become a chuunin this year, even if Sasuke and Naruto don't.” She grinned, but after a moment it drooped. “But Sarutobi-sama… Sasuke hadn't realized until this encounter that Itachi could have been the one responsible for the Uchiha Massacre, and I worry about the effect this will have on both him and Naruto. Naruto was very attached to his former sensei, and it makes me wonder what they'll do with the knowledge that Itachi and Orochimaru will both be locked up somewhere here. Naruto especially was very vocal in his disapproval of Orochimaru during the fight. I'm afraid that would be my fault as well, sir.” She dipped her head, wrapping her hands around the cup her Hokage poured for her and letting the heat seep in.

“Naruto has always been very protective of those precious to him, Anko. He has been positively impacted by your teaching in ways that will far outway any negative feelings he has for your former sensei.” The old man spoke softly but surely, and Anko let herself relax a bit, hoping that was true. She put on a grin, though, her usual facade back in place, and went back to explaining the battle plans and team jutsu her genin were so fond of. The chuunin exams were coming up, and if Sarutobi-sama thought they were ready, she would have no doubts about entering them, and she was sure they would be ready to travel to Suna at the end of the month.


	6. Hana Makes Stupid Bets When Angry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter written just now between 12 and 4 am, in between Facebook tangents and my friends complaining about Trump, so I apologize for mistakes, and if any are too awful and you want to point them out, that'd be super great! Enjoy!

They were going to the chuunin exams. Hana was fifteen, well old enough to be expected to be a chuunin, and Kiba has sent her off that morning with a good luck and a hug, having no doubts that she would come out on top.

Hana was much less sure about this, especially with Naruto and Sasuke competing, but they were a team, and they would get through this together. The past week had been spent refining their strategies and readying their weapons, and a week before that she and her Haimaru Brothers had mastered their new technique, Fang Rotating Fang, which she had shown to Anko-sensei but had kept from Naruto and Sasuke so far. Every ninja needed her secrets. She was sure each of the boys had their own tricks, as well.

Though perhaps Naruto just made things up on the fly. Either or both were a possibility with him.

They had a week before they were due in Sunagakure, and they were only a day away now, which secretly pleased Hana as much as it did Naruto, because she had been corresponding with Temari, who she would be glad to see again before they were to go against each other. The thought of facing the children of the Kazekage was terrifying, because they knew they'd improved greatly since Naruto fixed Gaara’s seal. A ten year old, an eleven year old, and a fifteen year old taking the exam together was certainly going to draw attention, but hopefully not as much attention as those three.

They sat around the fire, Anko munching happily on dango Naruto had figured out how to seal in a way that kept it fresh, Naruto drawing tags, and Sasuke looking very brooding for an eleven year old. The Haimaru Brothers were curled in a puppy pile inside her tent, and Kimi and a two-tailed fox Hana didn't know as well were curled up in Sasuke and Naruto's. She didn't know if the foxes would be considered summons and allowed to participate in the exam with them or not, but Naruto could call them to him now, so she thought it was very possible. Especially if Kimi did his usual trick for when they were in an unfamiliar town and shrunk to the size of a kit until he was needed.

Shaking off thoughts of the exam for the night, Hana leaned over to bump her shoulder against Sasuke’s. “Hey, you'll get frown lines if you keep making that face, and then Naruto will have to find someone prettier to crush on, you really need to learn to smile so he doesn't get any funny ideas.” She teased lightly, making the blonde squawk in indignation as Sasuke chuckled and gave her a smile.

“Oh, I'm not sure you're his type, but I guess I should be careful with Gaara around for next month or so.” Sasuke smirked at her and turned to Naruto, both genin watching the blonde flounder.

“Gaara isn't… I mean Sasuke is… shut up, both of you! I know you have a crush on Genma, Hana!” He blurted, and Hana flushed, scowling, as Anko and Sasuke both broke out in laughter.

“It isn't a crush, Naruto, I just admire his… skill.” She had a little crush, okay, but she wouldn't admit to it.

“Yeah, that's what you were staring at when we watched that jounin exam. His skills. He's like ten years older than you!” Naruto huffed, and Hana knew she needed to divert this.

“Oh, like Anko-sensei is ten years older than you? Twice your age, but you still had a crush on her!”

“That was because she was deadly and beautiful and I had never met a kunoichi like her, not because I like to stare at her ass like you do!”

“I wasn't staring at his ass, you idiot!”

“I saw it with my own eyes, dog breath!”

“Oh, you want to bring hygiene into this? When was the last time you had to shave your legs in a river, brat?”

“You don't have to shave your legs, you do it because you're vain!”

“No, I am not vain! You're vain, mister can't-give-up-my-orange-jumpsuit-for-stealth!”

Naruto gasped like it had been a mortal wound, fisting his hands in the bright fabric. “Orange is the best color, and you're just jealous your favorite color isn't as great as mine!”

Hana barked out a laugh, smirking at him. “And how many chuunin do you know that go around wearing their favorite color? You'll never get through this exam with that thing on, and I'd bet my share of the mission pay for a month on it.” Okay, it was a little too late to backtrack, but Naruto was an excellent genin. As far as she knew, his orange flair had never gotten them caught. When her brain caught up with her mouth, though, she set her jaw in determination, unwilling to back down an inch of the challenge, and Naruto had that stubborn look on his face that said she would be losing.

“And if I don't make chuunin at this exam, I'll… shave my legs in a river.” Naruto growled, and Hana raised her eyebrows. Not only get through the exam but do well enough to make chuunin or he'd shave his legs? That was a bet she'd take.

Anko was giggling to herself in a disconcerting manner, but Sasuke had the strangest look on his face, and Hana wondered who he was betting on, but just shook her head and stood. “I'm getting some sleep while I can. I'll take second watch, sensei, unless one if these two are still up.” She offered, and Anko grinned, waving her away.

“Oh, I'm leaving them to first watch and I'll take second. Naruto is so wound up he won't sleep for a week at this point anyway. You can have third.” She stood as well, going to her own tent and leaving them without another word, so Hana shrugged and left the boys to their watch, ignoring Naruto’s sputtered denials.

When she was alone, though, her mind filled back up with thoughts of the exam ahead of them, and she curled up with her ninken but couldn't find rest. As the night grew quieter, she could hear Naruto and Sasuke whispering to each other outside.

“Dobe. You should have just told her you didn't plan to wear that for the exam. Now you're going to have to shave your legs.”

“Shut up, Teme, it isn't my fault! And I'm going to become a chuunin, just watch!”

“You know the average chuunin graduation age is 13. Very few have managed it before that. You'd have to be on a level with people like Kakashi Hatake and… Itachi… to pass this time.”

“Hey, don't make that face.” Naruto’s voice had softened. “You're going to pass too, S’uke. You aren't living in his shadow.”

“Hn. Itachi was ANBU at 13. He was a genius. I'm always second best to him, dobe.”

“Not to me, you aren't.”

Hana stopped listening after that, feeling like she was intruding on something private, but sleep claimed her shortly after, and it was dreams full of failure that haunted her.


	7. A Lull in Training for Suna Allies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, not entirely certain if my next chapter will be the actual exams or what, but this is domestic fluff, and part of me wants to write something with Itachi and Orochimaru next. Maybe a check in of their progress. Dunno!

Packing up and leaving their cave on the edge of Suna, they made their way across the desert as quickly as possible, and Kimi shrunk to fit himself into the side of Naruto’s wide collar as they came upon the gate to Sunagakure around sunset, Akira leaping up to rest around Sasuke’s shoulders. As docile and unthreatening as possible was the intended effect, and it was pretty easy when only two of your party members were old enough to look like ninja.

They were greeted at the gate by chuunin of Suna, and escorted to the designated housing for allies joining them for the chuunin exams. It was getting late, and they were all exhausted, so the city was a welcome sight, and the beds in the living quarters were an even more welcome one, but they hadn't been in their room long enough to do more than shake the sand from their pants when there was a knock on the door. Naruto was up in a flash, across the room to open the door before anyone else could even move, and when it was thrown open, it was to Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro, making the blonde whoop in delight and throw his arms around his smaller friend, whose siblings looked at them like he was crazy.

“Temari. Kankuro.” Sasuke greeted, getting nods of acknowledgement.

“Sasuke. Hana. It's nice to see your team is well, Anko-san.” Temari added politely, and Kankuro hesitantly bowed his head to their team leader.

“It's nice to meet you all.” He tagged on, looking over the team that had given them their little brother back and stabilized Suna’s best military power.

“Likewise, I've heard a lot about you from Naruto. He reads every letter Gaara sends him aloud, no matter how many times we tell him to shut his big mouth.” Anko knew this would get the blonde’s attention where he was babbling to Gaara about something or other, holding Kimi up in the ginger’s face, but he stopped immediately when he heard her, dropping the fox into Gaara's surprised hands as he turned.

“Hey, old bat, you know you like to hear about what's going on with Gaara, you were the one that said he was cute like a delicate little kitten!” The blonde protested, and Gaara looked very much like he wasn't sure how to take that, but Sasuke stepped in before the fight could get any further.

“No arguing in front of guests, dobe.” He huffed, pulling Naruto more fully into the room. “If you have time, you could join us for tea. We were just getting ready to make some.” Sasuke offered their friends, and Naruto’s face lit up.

“Oh, yeah, guys, come on in!” He practically bounced across the room. “We went on a mission to Kuni recently, and we got the best teas I've ever tasted!” He exclaimed, and Gaara smiled at his enthusiasm, stepping inside and looking back at his siblings.

Temari was smiling, but shook her head. “Sorry, we just came to greet you and escort Gaara. Some of the villagers have been getting vicious, they think he's weaker now. That's why we're going to be participating in the exam here.” She got a frown from Kankuro for saying it, but they needed to know if they were going to be spending time with Gaara while they were here, and she raised an eyebrow, daring him to say anything.

“Thank you, sister. Brother. You don't have to worry about me, I can handle the villagers.” The ginger smiled at them, though, and they both nodded, disappearing in a whirl of sand.

Naruto watched them go and blinked, looking at Anko. “Was that a shunshin? Can we learn how to do that? I didn't know you could do it with more than leaves.” Naruto started to babble, and Anko silenced him with a quick no.

“Takes too much chakra control for you, kid. Maybe Sasuke or Hana can learn it, but you'd over-power yourself and pass out on a trip to the market.” She snorted, and Naruto pouted.

“Using more chakra makes my jutsu more powerful. I'll learn the damn control…” He grumbled, and Sasuke sighed.

“Watch the language, dobe. Gaara’s younger than you.” Naruto looked slightly guilty at this, but Gaara looked a little affronted, so Sasuke quickly changed the subject. “Come on, let's have some tea and convince Anko to show us the shunshin so we don't have to pester Gaara into it tomorrow.”

The Uchiha could feel the daggers his sensei was glaring at him, but he just smirked at Gaara, who had a fox kit on his shoulder rather than in his hands now. The ginger looked at him kind of shyly before flatly intoning. “I'm nine, you know.” And going to sit next to Naruto where the blonde was looking through their teas with Anko and Hana.

Sasuke found himself smiling genuinely for the first time in a month as he watched Naruto animatedly explaining their mission in Kuni to Gaara, who took it all in like he had never been outside of Suna before. Honestly, he probably hadn't. “But hey, Gaara, are you going to explain the shunshin? Can you teach us? Can you convince Anko-sensei to teach us?” The blonde babbled, and Sasuke rolled his eyes, flicking him in the back of the head as he came over to sit and wait for their tea.

“Don't pester the kid, dobe.” He huffed, getting another shy smile and, surprisingly, a blush from Gaara.

“I… could try to teach you. I don't know how well I will do.” The ginger put in softly, and Naruto’s face lit up.

“Yes! Oh man, Iruka is gonna be so jealous when we come back as chuunin aaaaand can perform a shunshin!” Naruto grinned at the thought and Hana rolled her eyes and nudged him with her elbow. “You've been going on about your new boyfriend since we saw him after that mission, have you got a crush Naruto?” She teased, and blue eyes went wide as his face flushed darkly.

“N-no! Of course not! Iruka is just cool, unlike you two crazy kunoichi!” He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, going into a full pout. Sasuke snorted at the blush that was still creeping up his ears.

“Right, because you talk about all the cool chuunin this much. That's why you're always going on about Iruka and… hn. Can't seem to remember you saying anything about the others. Kotetsu will be heart broken, I'm sure.” He expected the punch he got to the arm, and caught the blonde’s fist, smirking. “Dobe.”

“Teme!” The blonde huffed and pulled his hand away from Sasuke, but leapt on the ravenette in a tackle instead, taking him by surprise. Naruto shoved Sasuke’s face against the floor and sat on his chest, holding him down as he struggled and growled. The whole room was surprised, though, as Gaara quickly tackled Naruto off of Sasuke with a determined look on his face. He wasn't able to hold the blonde down, but he was faster, and he dodged every move Naruto made, keeping his freedom long enough for Sasuke to trip the blonde.

“Not fair! Gaara, you're supposed to be on my side!” Naruto whined from the floor, blue eyes going wide and hurt. Gaara shifted and blushed slightly, glancing at Sasuke and smiling softly at the smirk he got from the older boy.

“Who said I was on anyone’s side?” His voice was just as calm as usual, and Naruto rolled his eyes.

“You helped that teme instead of me! That says you're on his side!” He exclaimed, and Hana was tired of listening to them, standing up and scowling.

“Naruto! Sasuke! We were having tea like civilized humans, not rough housing! Sit down and ask Gaara about life since we saw him last!” She snapped. She had clearly been taking too much of Anko’s attitude in, if you asked Naruto, but both boys huffed and sat on either side of Gaara around the small table Anko had set up for their tea.

“The chuunin exams are going to chew you up and spit out your bones, brat.” Anko huffed, but they all knew she thought they'd make it through or she wouldn't have let them enter.

“Just watch, old lady, I'll win this whole damn thing, just like I bet! I'll be a chuunin when we go back, believe it!” The Uzumaki were known for being particularly stubborn, and Anko had no doubts he'd be going all out with this, but seeing the Will of Fire was a new experience to Gaara, who looked a little taken aback at the burning determination Naruto exhibited. How could he face off against that much ferocity?

Sasuke couldn't help but give the blonde a smile, feeling his own determination to never fall short welling up in him, and as black eyes connected with blue, they both grinned, and it was honestly a little terrifying to see from the outside view of Anko and Gaara. Hana had wormed her way into the close knit bond they shared, and would never be as close to them as they were to each other, but it still made her heart swell and a fire light within her as well to see them that way. Both sets of eyes shifted to her as she dropped her hands on their shoulders, and their grins grew.

“Don't leave me out of this, losers. I'm going to whip both your asses in that competition.” Her smile was just as sharp as Anko’s and the Inuzuka canines made it even more scary, but they were all entirely in agreement. Anko had never been more proud, and Gaara had never been more unsure of his own victory. They were certainly a force to be reckoned with.

“Oh, Gaara, Rama wants to know if you've had any trouble with Shukaku. He says he can bully him into being nice if he gives you any trouble.” Naruto changed the subject seemingly randomly, but Gaara was sure it was because he could hear the voice of the bijuu in him just as he himself heard Shukaku. Having someone to share the bond of being a jinchuuriki with made him relax more, as Kimi made himself known again by hopping into Naruto’s lap and curling against his stomach.

“Mother has been… well, Shukaku…” He didn't exactly know how to speak about the bijuu, but Naruto just smiled at him acceptingly and it made him forget his anxiety over the issue. “He's been much more helpful since you fixed the seal. He was going a little crazy because the seal was letting his chakra leak, and it was… draining him. After so long trapped without a body, to have one that was betraying him was… scary, I guess.” He didn't mention the times Shukaku still wanted him to go out and kill something just for the sake of blood, but Naruto’s encouraging grin was something that warmed him from toes to ears. He no longer had to give into the demands Shukaku made, and that was more than he'd ever hoped for. Gaining a friend in the process was the best thing he could imagine.

Sasuke didn't know what it meant to be a jinchuuriki, but he could plainly see the bond it gave the two, and it brought an edge of a smile to his face as he bumped shoulders with Gaara. “Naruto only wants to know so he knows how easy it will be to kill you, of course.” He grinned a sharp smile that was all teeth, and green eyes went wide with fear for a moment, but then Naruto burst into laughter and it echoed around the room and infected each of them in turn.

The tea sat in their cups, cooling, and they broke into more casual conversation after that, telling stories of mission and enemy nin, and the lack of sleep the night before eventually sent them to bed early. That night was a lull in their training before the hardships ahead, and Anko was the last to turn in, sitting on her bedroll and watching the pile of foxes, ninken, and genin squirm and snore. They had a lot ahead of them, and a little break never hurt anyone, but tomorrow it would be back to training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, and comments are very much appreciated!


	8. Prison Rambles and Guard Duty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have had most of this finished and edited by myself for like... Over a week. I'm just really under-motivated by my own whims, so I've been working on other things, but the next chapter of this is halfway done, so I'm posting this unbeta'd and will update it with the beta'd version if there are any significant changes or mistakes.  
> Hope you guys enjoy, and a special thanks to Kitsunebii for the motivating comment that made me actually pick this up again!

Uchiha Itachi sat in the Hokage’s office, staring down at the seal on his bare chest. He was recovered from his injuries, but he coughed slightly and continued to stare at the foreign markings. They kept his chakra just from his reach, and it felt like he'd lost a limb, eyes a dark grey rather than red and hands shaking slightly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat directly across from him, eyes trained on his every move and expectation clear on his face. Not that Itachi was moving at all, completely still except for slight breathing and a tremor in his hands. The shaking hadn't stopped since his chakra was sealed.

“So, it was Danzo.”

“No. It was me.”

“But Danzo ordered you to?”

“No. He gave me the option. To kill them all and let Sasuke live. Or they all died and Sasuke did too.”

“And they were planning a coup, or did he think they were?”

“They… were. Father was unpleased with the way they were mistrusted. Shisui and I were against it, and Danzo took advantage of that.”

“Shisui was dead when you killed the others.”

“Yes. Danzo wanted his Mangekyo.”

“Hm.”

Sarutobi took a long drag from his pipe and let it out slowly, staring at the broken youth before him. He had had to plead with Tsunade to come repair the boy’s mental state and both his and Orochimaru’s physical states hadn't been stabilized for a week after they were brought in. He was sure she wouldn't have returned if it wasn't for the sake of her old teammate, and it had helped that he'd thrown in that it was Naruto who brought them in. She'd recently met with the boy in passing, and had seemed very pleased with the way he was growing into himself.

But Uchiha Itachi was broken. The death of his cousin had done him too much damage, and killing his family had been the last straw to snap him. He'd hoped Sasuke would come for him, in time. Kill him like he deserved. But Naruto had been there to hold Sasuke together, to keep him from falling into the Uchiha madness and hatred, and Itachi was left much too alive for his own liking. He supposed he should thank Naruto for grounding his brother like he had.

“Are they doing well?” He didn't have to be specific. Sarutobi understood.

“Very. Anko has taken her team to Suna for the chuunin exams. Hana will surely pass. Naruto and Sasuke… may surprise me.”

“Sasuke isn't ready. Naruto either. The girl, Hana, will do well.” He knew, after fighting them. After seeing them interact. This just got him a sigh.

“Did Orochimaru play any part in Danzo’s plan for you?”

“No. He hates Danzo for betraying him before. We worked well together. He was training me.”

“Why were you after Tsuchigumo Hotaru?”

“She has kinjutsu sealed inside her that Orochimaru wanted.”

“Hm.”

Another pause brought more coughing from Itachi, and he looked up to meet lighter grey eyes in a wrinkled, tanned face.

“Sasuke has been training in kenjutsu?”

“He trains himself from the scrolls in your library, but additional training with Gekko Hayate has improved his speed and form.”

“Hn. Mother would have-” He broke off and dropped his eyes back to the seal on his chest, clenching his hands until his knuckles somehow turned whiter.

“Mikoto was talented with a blade, yes. That's enough for today. Escort him back, Kakashi.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hokage-sama. The Akatsuki are after the jinchuuriki. All of them.” Itachi couldn't go before saying so, even if it got him scolded for interrupting, but Sarutobi simply hummed and stared at him for another moment.

“Bring Orochimaru when you return.”

“Of course, sir.”

Itachi stood when a light touch to his shoulder brought him from his thoughts. Hatake Kakashi had been one of his favorite team leaders when he was ANBU. It was fitting his blank face and grey eye were the ones that met Itachi’s when he looked at his jailer. He followed him out without another word, lead through Konohagakure with his head bent and his steps entirely matched to the guard guiding him to his new home.

They were no ordinary criminals and couldn't be kept with those in the ordinary prison, even if it had originally been meant for criminals of his and Orochimaru’s calibre. With the seals on their chakra, it wasn't feasible to leave them in the regular facility, and it was unnecessary as well, so they were kept in a safe house under Hokage Mountain, unused in times of peace.

“I should have warned you about Danzo when I left Root.” Kakashi hadn't said a single word to him thus far, until that, and Itachi almost looked at him in his surprise.

“I did it for Sasuke. I knew he was mad.” Itachi picked at the polish on his nails, the black lacquer already chipped off in places. Kakashi had always tried to be responsible for everything. His self-hate had been unrivalled when Itachi worked with him, but Itachi knew what that felt like now, and he wasn't going to attempt to reassure his senpai like he had before.

Kakashi said nothing else, and they were soon in the tunnels that lead to the safehouse, passing a waiting guard and exchanging a glance. Itachi thought he remembered Umino Iruka from the academy, before he had made genin. A prankster like Naruto. He didn't meet his eyes.

As they entered the hidden rooms carved out under the mountain, they could see two doors on either side of the main room. Iruka followed them back, and two jounin were stationed in the room, but switched with Iruka when he got there.

“That one’s chatty today.” One of the jounin said in passing, and Kakashi and Iruka both nodded.

Itachi walked without guidance to his own cell, facing Orochimaru’s and doored only by a set of bars. He waited patiently to be allowed in, and still didn't look up when his cell door was heard locking, nor when he heard Orochimaru hissing taunts at Kakashi as he unlocked his door to lead him out. He would be alone with the guard, which was sometimes a dangerous thing, but he remembered Iruka as being rather softhearted. He wasn't scared.

He didn't have need to be, either. Time passed as slowly as it had for the past month and a half, and when Orochimaru was brought back in by Kakashi, the jounin took up a position with Iruka, who hadn't so much as sneezed as he stood against the back wall of the main room.

Orochimaru stood at the front of his cell, and Itachi glanced up at him, meeting narrow yellow eyes. “You told him the Akatsuki were hunting jinchuuriki. How boring. I was hoping to get my hands on the blonde brat and take him to Tobi myself.”

Iruka tensed and looked like he would say something, but Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder.

“You wouldn't have laid a finger on him before I broke it.” Itachi didn't even have to look up to know he had all eyes in the room, but he just sat cross legged in the middle of his floor and continued to pick the paint off his nails.

“Is that so? Even with the damage he caused you. You must be quite fond of the... demon fox.”

“Just Naruto. He's good for Sasuke.” Itachi hummed and glanced up again to find confusion in those yellow eyes now. “And I will do anything for Sasuke. Don't think you can corrupt him. I will end you if you try.”

He stared into those yellow eyes, confusion now swirling with incredulity, until Orochimaru turned and walked away.

Iruka still stared at him, with something more soft in eyes now, but Kakashi had looked away when he glanced over, and Itachi sighed and turned away. He hoped the sickness killed him soon, since Sasuke wouldn't.

~*~

Hiruzen sat at his desk, Shikaku across from him, watching the video footage of his conversations with Itachi and Orochimaru. Itachi had been compliant and answered questions without complaint, but Orochimaru had been his usual self. He didn't give an inch without taking a mile first.

“Should we give him to Ibiki?” Shikaku wondered aloud as he watched Orochimaru dodge a question about the plan for the jinchuuriki.

“Possibly. Perhaps… Anko would be better for the job.”

“You don't expect her back from Suna for another month, though. Should we wait that long?”

“I'll contact Jiraiya. They were always closer. Maybe he'll have more luck. If not, I'll wait for Anko.” Hiruzen sat back and distractedly smoked his pipe, listening to the evasions his student had used.

“Having all three Sannin in the village at once will be something that hasn't happened since the last time you were Hokage. Even with our jinchuuriki away, it would be foolish for the Akatsuki to come after their imprisoned members. Especially when those members are the Uchiha genius and Orochimaru. Surely, that must weaken them.” Shikaku shut off the video as Orochimaru was being lead out and sighed as he sat back in his chair. “How troublesome.”

“Trouble indeed.” The Hokage muttered, the conversation still playing out in his mind. So much trouble for an old man.

~*~

Iruka had asked for this patrol. It was probably stupid, but he had visited Sarutobi-sama after the strange conversation he had with Naruto, and when he was called into the office it was to the sight of a desk in shambles, with paperwork all over the floor, and the Hokage sitting in his chair as if nothing was wrong. His pipe was snapped, though, and Iruka had known that whatever happened had been serious. He had offered his help in whatever manner he could, and got a long look from the man that was the closest thing to family he had for the past ten years.

When Sarutobi spoke, it was to explain that Team Anko had just come back from a level D mission with two S-class criminals in tow. Not just any criminals, either. Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi. A genin team had just brought them both in, injured to the edge of death and with chakra seals smeared onto their chests with their own blood. Old Uzumaki seals he hadn't seen since Uzushio stood.

Iruka had been unsure why he was being trusted with this information, but he understood why Anko was so sure her genin would be chuunin soon. To take down two criminals of that calibre… Well, Iruka had been spending time trying to figure Naruto out after that incident. He was no closer than when he began, but he had spent an exorbitant amount on ramen.

But he could afford to, with the pay on the guard duty he had been given at the end of his talk with Sarutobi. He had helped clean up the paperwork and debris scattered around the office, then went directly to the hospital. Until they regained their health, the positions of both captives had been kept between a total of eight people, three of them the genin that didn't entirely realize the feat they'd just performed.

It was really something else. Iruka caught himself staring at the frail form of Itachi and brought his eyes back to front. He remembered the other, of course. Everyone who passed that year did. Who wouldn't, when they were all eleven or twelve and a seven year old took and passed the academy test with them? Seeing the Uchiha genius make chuunin before him had solidified Iruka’s respect for him. At least, until he heard that the thirteen year old had killed his entire family in a single evening.

Seeing him picking black polish off his nails for days on end as he sat on the floor with his back to the room, shoulders skinny and ribs prominent when he coughed, which was often, was something of a reality check for Iruka. The mighty fell as easily as anyone else, and Iruka found himself almost feeling sorry for the teen that sat with his head down and his long hair fanned across his naked back.

Standing guard with a nin like Hatake Kakashi left no margin for error, though, and Iruka kept his back straight and his head high as he stood next to the tokubetsu jounin. He was the only chuunin on the guard, and he wasn't entirely certain why the Hokage allowed him to take the position, but he never let his guard down.

Orochimaru was trouble. He was always calling out the guards by name, as if memorizing them, and would try to talk to anyone who was weak enough to look at him when he called out to them. Iruka wasn't one of those people, but he often came in to hear him hissing teasing words to Sarutobi Asuma or Rokusho Aoi. Some days, Orochimaru would try to get a reaction from Itachi, but he couldn't often manage it, and when he did it was mostly a threat of bodily harm if he touched Sasuke or Naruto.

Iruka was almost tempted to bring him more polish after those comments.

But he was standing with Hatake Kakashi, one of the most distinguished of Konoha’s shinobi, and he refused to look weak in front of him. Iruka didn't know if their shifts always coincided or if he was simply only allowed to stand guard with the best, but he wouldn't complain about the time spent with the jounin. Every day, Kakashi took Itachi to meet with the Hokage, or to get treated for his cough, and Iruka met them in the tunnel as they returned, and switched places with whoever was there. Some days, Iruka was left with Itachi as Orochimaru was taken, then. Mostly, they just stood guard until the next set of jounin came to replace them, and neither spoke a word until they had made their way back through the tunnel into the city. The only jounin he'd ever seen left alone with one or both prisoners were Kakashi and Guy, and Iruka himself was only left alone with Itachi.

“Sharingan Kakashi, the man who copied a thousand jutsu. Have you copied more since you hit that number? Is it two thousand now? Have you lost track of the actual number in that genius mind of yours?” Iruka glanced up at Kakashi as Orochimaru started in. He never seemed to need any encouragement from him, and Kakashi never so much as glanced at him.

“And they put you here with little Umino Iruka. I remember Kohari being so proud she had a boy. I'm sure she'd be incredibly disappointed he couldn't even make it to jounin.” Iruka stiffened, eyes straight ahead. That was new. Orochimaru must be getting bored.

“If you want to talk, I'll take you to meet with Ibiki.” Kakashi casually tipped his head in Orochimaru’s direction, and Iruka just kept his calm.

“Threats already? Hmm, you never were very fun.” Orochimaru leaned against the bars of his cell, and Kakashi sighed and glanced at Iruka.

“I just wouldn't want your sharing nature to go to waste.” He replied lazily, and Iruka chanced a glance up at him, noting his tight stance and and set jaw.

Orochimaru hummed interestedly, but didn't say anything more for a few minutes, staring at them with those unnerving yellow eyes. “Well, Itachi, it seems your affections won't be returned. Too bad, really. With your combined intellects, you'd have quite the prodigy child.” The Sannin purred the words, and Iruka stiffened, glancing quickly between Kakashi and Itachi and noticing Kakashi’s eyes were also on Itachi. The teen had frozen, and was slowly turning, standing as he did so. His face was a blank mask.

“And what interest do you have in my affections, Orochimaru?” Itachi hissed, eyes narrowed and body tensed like he was prepared to fight. Orochimaru sneered at him, still pressed against the bars of his cell.

“You were plenty interested yourself, Itachi- __kohai. Your preoccupation with Hatake must be a rather old flame to flare up again now.” Orochimaru smirked and licked his lips in the most obvious innuendo Iruka had ever seen. This was getting out of hand.

“Enough, both of you.” He cut in before another word could be spoken, and three pairs of surprised eyes landed on him, but he ignored them all, continuing to stare ahead. They were locked away in cells under a mountain, how did anyone find it in them to argue about romantic attachments at such a time?

“I think we make him nervous, Itachi. He'd be so easily crushed, wouldn't he? So young and full of false hope about life. We remind him of how futile it is to make attempts to succeed. Someone will always be there to bring you back down to earth.” Orochimaru hummed and smirked, but no one responded. Itachi was sitting with his back to the bars again.

Iruka tuned out Orochimaru’s ramblings, then, and didn't even notice when the Sannin lost interest and gave up. He had never been as glad to see Asuma and Genma as he was when they came in that day, and he just hoped something changed soon. This arrangement wasn't meant to last forever, but he didn't know what they were waiting for.

He really wasn't sure if anyone knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any comments or questions will make me super happy and 3000% more likely to finish and post the next chapter asap :3 hope you liked it!


	9. The Sound of Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm super bad at writing more than one thing at a time. Also, at not wanting to put my love of beautiful music into my fics.  
> Link to the song mentioned will be in the end note! It is lovely, and I love to sing it.  
> Warning for a Sad Thing in this chapter! It was... Necessary. I hate myself.  
> I hope you guys enjoy this, though...

Naruto was, for once, not lulled to sleep in minutes by the soft breathing and shared warmth of his companions.

He was sure it couldn't be nerves twisting his stomach so much he hadn't been able to eat that entire day. He was Uzumaki Naruto, the best genin of his generation, and his team consisted of the best Kunoichi in Konoha, the last Uchiha genius, and a medical specialist that could also kick ass on the battlefield with her ninken companions. They were the golden team. Nothing stopped them, not even a mass murdering former sensei and a Sannin.

This all went through Naruto’s head and only served to make him more anxious. He shifted slightly, shivering as Gaara sleepily curled tighter over his stomach and exposed Naruto’s warm skin to the air. The shift caused the whole puppypile to move, though, and soft grey fur soon pressed over the chilled area, making him relax. His free arm curled around Sasuke and rested on Hana’s shoulder, feeling the slow, even breathing of both reassuring him slightly. They would do this, and they would do it with a flare that no other team could ever hope to match.

Black eyes blinked open slowly, and the head on his shoulder tipped up to give him a sleepy frown. “St’p movin’.” Sasuke mumbled, even as he let his eyes slip closed again, and Naruto snorted.

“Shut up, teme.” He huffed quietly and Sasuke just buried his face in Naruto’s neck, breathing soft, warm breath onto it and giving him goosebumps.

Naruto didn't complain. He listened to the calming noise of each breath taken, strained his ears to hear the gentle night breeze consistently battering the building, and the sound of near-silence slowly calmed his breathing and soothed his stomach. He was almost asleep when he noticed the rising rate of Sasuke’s heart and breathing. He could almost have ignored it if it wasn't followed shortly by small twitches and soft whimpers, but when that started, Naruto carded his fingers into Sasuke’s hair and hushed him softly.

Sasuke blinked awake in a moment, going stiff before melting back into the warmth around them. Naruto kept his hand in his hair and waited for his breathing to slow before he spoke. “Itachi or the exam?”

Sasuke pressed his face more firmly into Naruto’s neck before responding. “Itachi.”

Naruto sighed. Sasuke had been having nightmares since his brother did… whatever it was he'd done during their battle. The ravenette hadn't told Naruto what he actually dreamt yet, and Naruto didn't know if he would or not. “Do you-”

“The massacre.” Sasuke whimpered, and Naruto understood why he hadn't explained before. They still didn't speak of that day. “He made me watch it over and over… Everyone. He s-started with our cousin, the one that loved him, and finished with our p-parents. He killed them all.” His voice was so small, and it reminded Naruto of the day after the massacre, when they had shared tears and comfort in the Hokage’s house. It was the first of many days spent with only each other as company, and he wished, now, that they were alone so he could hold Sasuke in his lap and wrap them both in blankets and sleep against the wall like they did that first night.

But the pile of companions around them was also warm and comforting, and Sasuke’s voice was soft but didn't shake when he spoke again. “I can't kill him. I still love him.”

Naruto ran his fingers through soft black hair and sighed softly. “I know.”

“Will you-” He broke off, but Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, S’uke.”

Sasuke settled in, breath evening out, as Naruto started to hum. Mikoto had been such a sweet woman, and when Sasuke (or Naruto, on the nights he spent there) had a nightmare, she would always sing them back to sleep with the lullaby Naruto now hummed. She had had a beautiful voice, and Naruto could remember it as clearly as if it was being sung as he hummed.

 

_“Hello darkness, my old friend_

_I've come to talk with you again_

_Because a vision softly creeping_

_Left it's seeds while I was sleeping_

_And the vision that was planted in my brain_

_Still remains within the sound of silence_

_In restless dreams I walked alone_

_Narrow streets of cobblestone_

_'Neath the halo of a street lamp_

_I turned my collar to the cold and damp_

_When my eyes were stabbed_

_By the flash of a neon light_

_That split the night_

_And touched the sound of silence_

_And in the naked light I saw_

_Ten thousand people, maybe more_

_People talking without speaking_

_People hearing without listening_

_People writing songs_

_That voices never share_

_And no one dare_

_Disturb the sound of silence_

_"Fools" said I, "you do not know_

_Silence like a cancer grows_

_Hear my words that I might teach you_

_Take my arms that I might reach you"_

_But my words like silent raindrops fell_

_And echoed in the wells of silence_

_And the people bowed and prayed_

_To the neon God they made_

_And the sign flashed out its warning_

_And the words that it was forming_

_And the sign said_

_"The words of the prophets_

_Are written on the subway walls_

_And tenement halls"_

_And whispered in the sound of silence.”_

 

Sasuke was asleep before he finished, but Naruto hummed until the end, and the last note fell on a silent room, suspended in the air among the faint sounds of hearts and lungs and whispering wind. He could almost hear the quiet whisper of love and feel the press of lips on his forehead in the stillness, and if he pressed his own lips to Sasuke’s forehead and whispered those soft, remembered words of love… no one would blame him for wanting to comfort the closest thing he had to a family. And if Gaara and Anko and Hana had heard every word and note of the exchange, none of them would dare to intrude on such a thing by mentioning it, even if Hana pressed a bit closer on Sasuke’s other side.

~*~

Anko was 100% completely not worried, and she told herself this for the fifteenth time as she threw her thousandth senbon at the dummy she'd put together in their room at the inn. They were almost an hour into the first section of the exam, and Anko was so unworried, in fact, that she hadn't stopped thinking about how calm she was since they entered Sunagakure’s Academy. She wasn't their mother, and she wasn't worrying about them like they were pups. Because they weren't. They were genin, and they could handle themselves… she reminded herself for the seventeenth time.

Being a little worried about how your first and possibly only genin team was doing in their chuunin exam was perfectly normal, though. She would be within her rights as their sensei to worry. When two hours passed without their return, she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they had made it through to the second task, but that was just the beginning. The Demon Desert wasn't something to be taken lightly, but she was less worried about that than she was about the other teams, namely Baki’s. The three children of the Kazekage. After speaking with their sensei, she was less than certain all the teams would make it out of the desert alive.

Temari was the fiercest of the three, with her three-mooned fan that negated most attacks and even allowed her to fly, but Kankuro was a puppet master that created his own dolls, each with their own built in traps and specialties. Gaara was quiet and relatively mild, not to mention extremely young for a chuunin contestant, but he was the most powerful of the three. He could control sand without actively thinking about it, and being a Jinchuuriki hadn't given him many pains since Naruto helped him out, so he had a sharp mind and ruthless focus, coupled with a complexity that made him nearly unpredictable.

They would certainly roll some heads in that desert. Not that her team wouldn't, but they were all soft in their hearts, and the night before had solidified that fact in her own jaded heart. Naruto and Sasuke thought they were unbreakable, but they were already cracked, and she hoped nothing put pressure on that crack before the end of the exam. Anko really didn't want to bring broken genin back to the Hokage.

Anko also really wanted dango, and that seemed like the perfect distraction, so she slid into her jacket and headed for the door. Better to worry while eating than to worry while alone in your room. Maybe she'd even see if Baki was still as interested in her as he had been three days before.

~*~

Who knew you could eat acid-spitting dragon-lizards?

Well, the four-tailed desert fox that lived in the Demon Desert did. Sahara had been attacking a group of Ame nin when they came across her, and she'd nearly taken Naruto’s head off before she realized who she was snapping at. Unfortunately, the dying Ame nin had an Earth scroll like theirs, so they collected it and thanked her, and had been about to leave to search out other enemies when she offered to show them where they could find food and water.

They encountered and killed two giant, three-tailed scorpions along the way, and nearly tumbled into quicksand before she steered them away with her tails. Kimi and the ninken weren't built for this kind of terrain, and they all stumbled as much under the wind and the weight of the sand accumulating in their fur as their human companions did. Sahara wasn't impressed. She showed them how to kill the huge lizards, then left to cause havoc, as she loved to do during the Suna exams.

Sasuke had never hated sand as much as he did when they stood behind that rock outcropping next to the tiny puddle Sahara had called a pond. He was just glad Gaara had suggested wearing something over their heads. He didn't want any more sand in his hair than had wormed through in the vicious wind.

“Naruto, can't you do something about the wind? You're the best fuuton user outside Suna, can't you… Make the wind not blow the same way you make it blow?” Hana asked as she refilled their canteens from the pond.

Naruto snorted and rolled his eyes. “You're a doton affinity, can't you just keep the sand from attacking us like a thousand bugs a second?” He mocked, and she scowled.

“It was just a question, and-”

“Silence!” Sasuke hissed, and the Haimaru brothers circled around Hana, growling softly, everyone immediately alert and drawing weapons.

A volley of kunai shot out from left of the rock, and Sasuke parried them with his katana. Shuriken hailed down from above them at the same time, and Hana flashed through the signs for a doton, a sand dome enclosing them and catching the weapons, as well as the senbon they hadn't noticed coming from their other side.

“We've got company. Plan 4t.” Hana got out just before their protective shield was cracked open. Sasuke burst through the hole fist-first, surprising the Kusa nin on the other side and landing a chakra-filled fist to his chest that cracked ribs and sent a wave of electricity through his system.

One down, two to go. Kimi launched himself out of the hole after Sasuke, leaving it the size of a cat and landing the size of a draft horse. He snarled and snapped at the enemy team, driving them back, as Naruto followed him out and whipped the wind into even more of a frenzy, blinding their enemies and sending them stumbling.

The ground shifted under their feet,  and Hana burst up through the sand, grabbing their ankles and dragging them under. The Haimaru brothers leapt from the dome, then, and circled them, sniffing their enemies and stopping to bark. Hana had crawled out of the sand after burying and securing the two, and she groaned at whatever she was hearing from her ninken.

“This one’s got it in his weapon pouch. Back of his belt. Have at, Naruto, I'm not getting back in there until I don't have sand in my bra.” Hana huffed and shifted uncomfortably. Naruto just nodded, too excited about their swift victory to worry about getting more sand in his… everywhere. He didn't doubt Hana’s doton for a moment as it held the struggling nin in place while he dug down to pull the scroll from his belt pouch. Sasuke checked on the nin he'd attacked while Naruto got the scroll, and Kimi shrunk back to the same size as a regular fox, leaning over the edge of the pit to watch Naruto dig.

“A Heaven scroll!” He exclaimed, popping up from sand pit he'd created, and Sasuke smirked, jogging over to grab his hand and help him out of the hole. “If we can survive this damn desert, we can-”

Kimi suddenly snarled, cutting him off, and lunged between the two boys and a volley of senbon needles thrown from atop the rock. Water was scarce in the desert, and apparently not something one should stay near for too long. A Suna team, older than Gaara’s by years, appeared from the sand storm and dropped between between them and the small pond. Kimi had taken every needle in one side, and that generally wouldn't be an issue, so Naruto was thrown when the fox didn't simply shake them out of his pelt and attack, but actually stumbled and whined as he landed.

The apparent leader of the team smirked and snapped a large fan open, but Naruto was panicking at the sight of his injured fox, and he lashed out immediately with gusts of cutting wind that ripped the fan from his hands and buried it in the sand. Sasuke bolted in to grab Kimi, and Hana threw up another dome over them all. That would at least give them a bit of time.

“Kimi, what happened? What's wrong?” Naruto's breath was coming fast, and his panic was nearly tangible in the protective dome.

Hana took the fox in her arms, and Sasuke lit their extra Earth scroll on fire to give her the light needed to examine him. Plucking the needles from him one at a time, she noticed a sheen to them that she recognised from Anko’s senbon. “He's been poisoned. We need to get him an antidote.”

Sasuke growled something that sounded rather like a curse under his breath, and Naruto was starting to glow in a way they'd only ever seen a few times, one of those when he fought Itachi. Nothing had ever been able to hurt Kimi so badly before, but the small fox wasn't even conscious. That was a lot of poison for his small form.

“I'll kill them!” Naruto snarled, and the genin outside had the bad fortune of breaking open their shield just then, before either of his teammates could calm his demonic fury enough to keep him from launching himself through the hole and clawing long lines across the face of the nearest enemy. He pounced on another of the ninja, slamming him into the ground with enough force that they heard bones crunching. He didn't even twitch again.

Sasuke didn't want Naruto to fall into this again, but he didn't know what else to do, so he took the few terrified moments of distraction to run his katana through the third Suna nin, giving her a relatively painless death. That left only the leader, who had recovered enough from the scratch to his face to start the hand signs for a fuuton. Naruto was much too fast, though, and he had their enemy by the throat before he got halfway through it. That was when Hana stepped in, and she had him in a doton before Naruto could crush his neck, surrounding him in a sand coffin, as she had seen Gaara do during their sparring.

She didn't crush him, but it was enough to make Naruto snarl and let go, yanking his hand from the sand. It had taken only seconds, but their enemies were dead or incapacitated, and Naruto had Kimi in his arms moments later, the Haimaru brothers backing out of their protective positions around the fox to sniff out the other scroll. Another Heaven scroll, carried by the girl that died on his sword.

Sasuke wasn't paying attention to them, though, and neither was Hana, as the brunette pulled out a roll of bandages to wrap around Kimi, while Sasuke gently talked Naruto out of his demon-induced state. The blonde was just blinking newly-blue eyes when one of the ninken whined and nudged his knee, the scroll held gently in his jaws. He took it and stroked the dog’s head, murmuring his thanks, and by then Hana had Kimi wrapped up so he wouldn't bleed out.

They ran like hell for the tower in the center of the desert, and didn't stop until they were inside it, only seven hours after the start of the test. They were the first to arrive, and they opened the scrolls after reading the hint on the wall, but when the chuunin appeared to them, they gave her no time for the usual speal, immediately thrusting Kimi at her and demanding medical attention for the fox. They cared none for the words of congratulations or encouragement she would have. Not with a member of their team injured.

It was a long night of waiting in a veterinary office, piled together against the wall and refusing to leave, but the poison was too deadly, and the medical nin most experienced with poisons was completely unfamiliar with kitsune summons. Kimi didn't wake up, and Sasuke’s soft hums were all that kept the cancerous sound of silence from devouring them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://youtu.be/Q4oInT79CUk  
> That song is lovely, and I am particularly fond of that version. My niece and nephew also appreciate it as a lullaby, so I thought I'd use it.  
> I... Would like to apologize. For the sadness. It hurts my heart. I would like to hear what you all thought about it, though!  
> Comments get love, because I'm a sap at heart...


End file.
